Jenny Scheinman The Littlest Prisoner 2014

If only I could adequately describe this fine recording in a way that would make you want it the way I want it again and again.

I'm destined to fail. I could compare it to a few other records and find some similarities, but those could only approximate at best this quietly stunning record. I've been listening to it for over a year now and every time I put it on I enjoy it immensely. And my blood pressure goes down.

I guess I would classify it as country/folk. Spare, quietly deliberate country/folk. Beautiful, intriguing, fragile music with a sensitive heart. Played by a small jazz ensemble of Bill Frisell (guitar), Brian Blade (drums and harmony vocals), and Tony Garnier (bass), with Scheinman's violin and arresting vocals. But it is not a jazz record.

Scheinman writes these direct sounding lyrics that always leave something to the imagination of the listener. She inspects the nooks and corners of relationships in intricately intimate ways, and finds the perfect detail that elevates the moment into crystalline clarity. I'm not always excited by lyrical content in my music, but Jenny Scheinman is just plain poetic.

The country/folk (with a touch of bluegrass ramble here and there) of these fairly simple melodies fits the mood of her lyrics so perfectly, so well, fittingly, that the record feels right. Scheinman's vocals are delicate without girlishness, quiet without shyness, childlike yet fully grown. She has a lovely voice.

And then there's the music. With such a small cast of players, and most of the songs don't even feature all four members, spare is the only way to describe it. But to be able to listen to these masterful musicians in these delicate arrangements, pouring themselves out so that every note, every nuance is full of the emotion (or even the ennui) that is perfect for the song, it is a treat.

There are three instrumentals that allow Scheinman and band to shine, and sequenced perfectly, give the record some nice pacing.  

Scheinman has contributed to many of Frisell's projects, and has made several jazz records as well as an earlier vocal record. Her playing is versatile and nimble, and she has performed in a broad range of settings. As it turns out, she can also sing and write lyrics exceptionally well. What can't she do?